Wacky treatments to cure nits and other nasties

Mumsnet has collected the best hacks for getting rid of 10 of the most common childhood nasties.

Whether you’re battling nits or warts, the book details the NHS approved cures plus the hacks that have worked for other mothers of the Mumsnet forum, reports Daily Mail.

nits

NITS
The official cure: Over the counter treatment, followed by lots and lots of combing.

Mumsnet users’ hacks
Hair straighteners: After treatment and combing and once hair is dry, use a hair straightener to completely cook them.

Neem oil: It’s foul smelling and nits HATE it. I can guarantee it will work.

DIY aromatherapy: I make my own mix; base oil with drops of tea tree, eucalyptus and geranium. No nit has been known to survive.

Vinegar rinse: Wine or cider vinegar as a final rinse, left on the hair and then blow-dried. Do it on a Friday though, as your child will smell like a chip shop.

Vodka: Apparently a comb through with strong alcohol works too.

WARTS

Mumsnet users’ hacks

Banana peel: A piece of peek taped to the offending growth has a good record of success. If keeping the peel stuck in the right place proves tricky you can scraped a bit away from the inside of the skin and use it as a poultice on a plaster.

Dandelions: A friend told us to split the stalk of a dandelion and rub the juice all over the warts before bed and leave it to soak in. No word of a lie, within a week or so they were all gone.

Nail polish: I painted my daughters with black nail varnish to obscure the light. Gone after about ten days but needed topping up baths while still there.

CONJUNCTIVITIS

The official cure: Your GP can prescribe antibiotic eye drops for bacterial versions, drops that reduce soreness for viral types and antihistamines for allergic reactions.

Mumsnet users’ hacks

Cold tea: It’s even better than salt water, as the tannins act as anti-inflammatories.

Johnson’s Baby Shampoo: A weak solution is widely recommended for the symptoms of blepharitis and some GPs recommend it for a mild case of viral conjunctivitis.

Breast milk: In terms of practicalities, you’re unlikely to make a direct hit straight from the nipple so you’d be well advised to express first and use cotton wool or a syringe to administer it.

Share your top tips below

Image via Daily Mail

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17 Comments

- - ashna9 said
  - 31 Oct 2017
    7:51 pm
I think I’d rather just drink the vodka..lol

- - BellaB said
  - 03 Sep 2017
    7:35 pm
At least none of these sound dangerous.

- - taynik46 said
  - 03 Sep 2017
    11:02 am
wow some awesome tips here – I love the one about the cold tea for conjunctivitis – never heard that one before and the wart cure ones – thanks so much for compiling this list for us

- - mom183717 said
  - 02 Sep 2017
    1:23 pm
love these great little tips

- - nadine_hill said
  - 01 Sep 2017
    9:07 am
Turmeric also helps to reduce inflammation of Conjunctivitis – add 2 tablespoons to a cup of boiling water, soak a washcloth in the mixture and use it as a warm compress.

- - mom94125 said
  - 01 Sep 2017
    8:29 am
gosh nits are the most annoying and hard to get rid of! when we were kids, we had the kero treatment lol so i’m all for trying more natural ways of getting rid of them. Conditioner and combing is the way we prefer but very, very time consuming. I hadn’t heard of the vodka treatment for them lol

- - Ellen said
  - 01 Sep 2017
    8:04 am
We used the hair straightener to burn the nits some weeks ago. Because the nits are close by the skull, it’s actually very tricky not to burn your child’s skull ! We also spray a solution of vinegar & eucalyptus with a drop of tea tree every morning on the children’s hair as prevention after numerous severe invasions.
The banana peel on warts didn’t really work for me, but might work for someone else ?
Breastmilk to treat conjunctivitis and other infections is a good one, so is raw honey 9not for conjunctivitis though).

- - june11 said
  - 31 Aug 2017
    9:42 pm
One childcare centre in Adelaide actually gave parents the solution to use for the first “dose” on their child’s hair….and the recipe to mix some themselves. I think it has Tea Tree Oil in it

- - cherz said
  - 31 Aug 2017
    8:43 pm
Interesting tips …the cold tea for conjunctivitis is interesting.

- - mom90758 said
  - 31 Aug 2017
    8:20 pm
I love the idea of the hot hair straightener against the nits! I had tried mayonnaise against nits (yes, somebody told me to try that! ) but didn’t really helped. And washing the hair afterwards was horrible!!

- - mom160421 said
  - 31 Aug 2017
    6:26 pm
An interesting assortment of tips.

- - mom112217 said
  - 31 Aug 2017
    6:18 pm
All interesting and good tips to take on board! Thanks!

- - mom206279 said
  - 31 Aug 2017
    5:42 pm
A few drops of eucalyptus oil in shampoo and conditioner will keep nits away to begin with.
- mom90758 replied
  
  31 Aug 2017 , 8:22 pm
  That’s a great tip to keep in mind!!
- - natct said
  - 31 Aug 2017
    3:14 pm
I use a daily tea tree oil and my long haired daughter didn’t get her class nits this term!! I also remember walking around with banana peel in my sock now I know why it was there thankyou haha
- mom93821 replied
  
  01 Sep 2017 , 1:43 pm
  We would be lost without tea tree oil – it really is terrific. Some people I know have spent $$$ on nit treatments full of chemicals and the results have not been good.
- - mom93821 said
  - 31 Aug 2017
    2:08 pm
I agree with tea tree oil being a wonder for ridding pesky little nits.